Since the first leg of Operation Sindoor launched by the military in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India has thwarted all Pakistani attempts to transgress national sovereignty. The swift Indian response
Since the first leg of Operation Sindoor launched by the military in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India has thwarted all Pakistani attempts to transgress national sovereignty. The swift Indian response establishes the strength of national air defense systems assiduously constructed over the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s national security policy. On the other side, the Indian military’s response has exposed the chinks in Pakistani air defense mechanisms.
Top official sources point to a concerted effort over 11 years to acquire cutting-edge weapon systems and point to the Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid, S-400 Triumf systems, Barak-8 missiles, Akash surface-to-air missiles, and the DRDO’s anti-drone technologies as the “aerial shield over Indian skies that held firm in the face of enemy hostility.”
“With its initial response, which is ongoing, India has shown it is not just defending its skies but controlling them,” said a government source, mentioning Operation Sindoor’s ability to hit deep into Pakistani territory and destroy a Chinese-supplied HQ-9 air defense unit in Lahore, damaging key radar infrastructure in Pakistan’s second-largest city. Senior ruling BJP leaders say graded and concentrated acquisitions, in spite of consistent Congress-led opposition’s offensive against the critical Rafale jet deal, held India in good stead since Pakistan’s April 22 provocation in Pahalgam.
India resisted US sanction threats to secure the Rs 35,000-crore contract with Russia for five S-400 Triumf squadrons in 2018. Three of these squadrons are now operational along the borders with China and Pakistan, securing India. The deployment of Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles (MR-SAM), a $2.5 billion agreement agreed upon in 2017 with Israel, continues to protect the frontline bases like Bathinda. Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation and Israel Aerospace Industries, the state-of-the-art surface-to-air missile system can engage a spectrum of aerial threats in one of India’s most sensitive regions.
Indigenous high-end military technologies used in the response against Pakistan include the DRDO-developed Akash missile system with 96 percent domestic content, counter-drone technology, and Man Portable Counter Drone Systems (MPCDS) to intercept and disable hostile UAVs. On the modern warfare front, Operation Sindoor saw the combat debut of loitering munitions, suicidal drones ordered under emergency procurement in 2021 and jointly developed by India and Israel. “These drones executed simultaneous, precision strikes across sectors, taking Pakistan’s defenses by complete surprise,” said official sources.
They added that Israeli-origin Harop drones, now locally constructed, were also deployed to target and eliminate air defence assets in Karachi and Lahore. “These platforms, combined with the strategic deployment of Rafale fighter jets equipped with SCALP and HAMMER missiles, demonstrated India’s capability to project power with surgical precision,” a government note said of the Indian strong, tech-driven air defense shield capable of detecting, jamming, and eliminating threats before they breach.
“Operation Sindoor gives a clear message of Indian dominance of the land and skies in this combat. This military operation mirrors our rise as a self-reliant defense power capable of producing high-end military technologies at home and a rising global power conscious of its responsibilities to bolster the national defense paradigm, notwithstanding internal and external opposition and threats,” said a senior government source.
